Reporter Tim Haeck leaving KIRO Radio after 36 years

Award-winning KIRO Radio reporter Tim Haeck has announced he will be retiring after 36 years reporting the news in Seattle.

Tim started at KIRO Radio as an intern from the University of Washington in Spring Quarter of 1978 and was worried that he would be lost in the shuffle at a station as big as KIRO.

The reality turned out to be quite different. Tim stands out as one of the most respected journalists in Seattle.

In over three decades as a crime and courts reporter for KIRO Radio, Tim has covered some of the area’s most notorious criminals, including the execution of Ted Bundy and the hunt for and capture of the Green River Killer. His reporting has led to many honors, including several national Edward R. Murrow Awards.

From earthquakes to wildfires, Tim has covered most of the major events that have impacted our region. But he said the ones that really stuck with him are the stories about people.

“I did a story about a 90-year-old man whose former little league ball players came back some 40 years later to honor their former coach because he had such a great impact on their lives, a wonderful story,” Tim said.

Another story that left its mark was one he heard from a woman sitting on her porch amidst flood waters in Lewis County.

“I just had to talk to her to find out what was going through her mind,” Tim said. “I learned she had watched her entire stock of cattle die in the flood waters. It was just a horrible, horrible thing. These are the things that stick with you over all these years.”

In retirement, Tim hopes to enjoy even more time with his family, wife Meribeth, their two children, and three grandchildren. He also plans to get outdoors to enjoy the Pacific Northwest.

Everyone who has worked with Tim has found his dry wit and love for our region a pleasure to be around. Please join us in wishing Tim well in his future endeavors.